Growth in Apparent Steel Usage

EghtesadOnline: Iran's apparent steel usage, defined as production plus imports minus exports, sometimes also adjusted for changes in inventories, increased during the first two months of the current Iranian year (started March 21) compared with last year's corresponding period.

News ID: ۷۸۶۵۲۶

27 June 2021

The above data were released by the Iranian Steel Producers Association.

Apparent usage stood at 4.6 million tons for semi-finished products, registering a 5% increase compared with last year's corresponding period.

It totaled 3.1 million tons for finished products, posting a 3% increase year-on-year, according to ISPA.

Flat steel products accounted for the largest portion of finished steel consumption with 1.67 million tons, up 3% YOY.

Among flat steel products, hot-rolled coil had the biggest share of apparent usage with 1.67 million tons (up 1% YOY), followed by cold-rolled coil with 473,000 tons (up 6% YOY) and coated coil with 255,000 tons (up 13% compared with the same period of last year).

Long steel products accounted for 1.5 million tons of finished steel apparent usage, up 4% YOY.

Rebar grabbed the biggest share in this section with 1.2 million tons, up 5% YOY, followed by beams with 181,000 tons (down 2% YOY) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 117,000 tons (up 11% compared with the same period of last fiscal year).

As for semis, apparent usage of billet and bloom amounted to 2.68 million tons, up 7% compared with the same period of last year. The use of slab also increased by 1% to 1.94 million tons during the first two months of the year.

DRI usage dripped by 1% to 5.4 million tons, during the period under review.

Production

Iranian steelmakers produced a total of 9.18 million tons of semi-finished and finished steel products during the two months under review.

According to ISPA’s latest report, semis accounted for 5.6 million tons of the total output, up 16% YOY.

Billet and bloom made up 3.3 million tons of semi-finished production whereas slab output reached 2.26 million tons to register a 17% and 13% YOY rise, respectively.

The output of finished steel also increased by 10% YOY to 3.57 million tons.

Long steel products accounted for 1.94 million tons of finished steel products total output, posting a 16% growth YOY.

Rebar production stood at 1.5 million tons (up 18% YOY). It was followed by beams with 205,000 tons (up 2% YOY) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 153,000 tons (up 25% YOY).

Production of flat steel picked up during the month under review by 2% year-on-year to 1.63 million tons.

Hot-rolled coil made up 1.6 tons, showing a 2% rise compared with the similar period of last year, followed by cold-rolled coil with 431,000 tons, unchanged compared with the last year and coated coil with 265,000 tons (up 26%).

Iran's output of direct reduced iron also grew by 1% to 5.59 million tons, ISPA data show.

Export and Import

The export of finished and semi-finished steel products saw solid growth during the two months under review.

A total of 1.44 million tons of finished and semi-finished steel products were exported from Iran during the period, considerably higher than the previous year’s similar period.

Semi-finished steel made up 967,000 tons of the total export volume, up 134% YOY.

Billet and bloom had the lion’s share of semis exports with an aggregate of 652,000 tons, 90% higher than the previous corresponding period. Slab followed with 315,000 tons, up 344% YOY. Iranian steelmakers exported more than 71,000 tons of slab during the same period of the previous year.

The export of finished steel products jumped by 93% to 477,000 tons during the two months under review.

Rebar accounted for the largest portion of finished steel exported from Iran during the period, with 373,000 tons. The total volume of Iran’s rebar exports experienced a 98% growth compared with the same period of last year.

Hot-rolled coil amounted to 31,000 tons, registering a 182% growth compared with the year before.

Beams exports amounted to 25,000 tons during the period under review, up 56% YOY.

Nearly 39,000 tons of L-beam, T-beam and other types were also exported from Iran during the period, recording a 117% rise YOY.

Coated coil with 9,000 tons, up 50% YOY, was the other finished steel product exported from Iran, while the export of direct-reduced iron increased by 500% YOY to 120 tons.

The ISPA report shows steel imports stood at 115,000 tons, up 32% YOY.

Iran did not import semi-finished steel products during the period.

The imports mostly included HRC with 31,000 tons, up 15%; CRC with 42,000 tons, up 68%; coated coil with 33,000, up 3%; L-beam, T-beam and other types with 3,000 tons, up 200%; and rebar with 5,000 tons, up 150%.